for a time. I wore a navy suit and red pumps an we danced on a raised floor that resembled a boxing ring. The girls in the show were wonderful dancers an Mr.Walters promised me a job dancing in his show if I came back when I was 18. I was still at theY and enjoying it. I remember meeting Tommy For tanova. He was a good looking, dark hair and eyes, very smooth and older. He had a band that played for college dances and I would go with him and sit alone at a table all night. He would join me at intermission. He was an amazing magician. After working at the bank for 3 months, they hired a fellow named Frank Brust who turned out to be the manager of the finance department and my new boss. He was very attractive and had beautiful blue eyes and all business. All the girls were a flutter, new man on board and he began to date one of them. I worked directly for him and my desk was right behind his. One day as he walked by my desk, he said, “You know, if you were la little older I might consider taking you out.” I answered, “I wouldn’t go out with you if you were the last man on earth.” I guess I always was a challenge. I was 17 and he was 24. A month or so later there was annual end of summer party for all the banks at IremTemple Country Club in Dallas PA. My mom was there also as she worked at Third National. She and Pat Padden drove me there. It was an all day and night party and at one point, I looked out of the window and saw this guy on the diving board with a gorgeous body and I said, “Who is that?” They said, “That’s Frank Brust.” Wow! It was the first time I took notice as I was still dating Bob McGurrin. My mom and Pat Padden wanted to leave early and I told them I would find a ride with one of my friends. It seemed like some of my friends rode with Frank, so I asked him if I could ride home. He said ok if he could drop me off last. I said, “You’re driving...” that was the beginning of our friendship. He use to send a taxi to pick me up and I would meet him at his hangout Magnotta’s Cafe in the hill section . I didn’t drink, but he always insisted. So, my first drink was a Slow Gin and 7UP. This went on for months and I don’t remember him taking me anywhere else. We would sit in a booth in the back room and talk and play the juke box. Amazingly enough, his favorite song was “The TennesseeWaltz.” I was also seeing Tommy Por tanova whom I met before Frank. One afternoon I received a call in my room that I had a visitor downstairs. It was Tommy. We sat in the lounge on one of the couches and he presented me with a beautiful diamond ring and asked me to marry him. I had never even kissed this fellow. I was shocked to the core. He put it on my finger and asked me to think about it. I did not want to accept it. I said I wouldn’t and thought, “What would Frank think?” as I had a date with him that evening. Up to this point, I had no thoughts of marriage as I was happy just stepping into the world. The taxi arrived and drove me to Magnotta’s and Frank was eating. We sat in the back lounge ordered a drink and then he saw it. “What is this?” I told him the crazy story and he kept telling me to give it back, give it back. “I was planning to get you one.” Another shocker, only I loved Frank and it just snowballed from there. We were married September 23, 1950. I was much too young, but very mature, yet I cannot regret
it as I have two wonderful, intelligent, and beautiful daughters whom I love to the enth degree. We were married five years. I left the bank when we were married. While I was working in the bank before Frank and I were married, I met Thomas Noyes who was a car dealer and he would come into the bank to Frank to get his cars financed. He was handsome with his curly dark hair and beautiful blue eyes. He was married to a lovely young lady named Shirley. The 4 of us became friends and we went out with others on Saturday nights. It was Tom, who never could keep a secret, who told me Frank was going to give me the ring and had it made special for me. After Frank and I married, we all remained special friends. At some point, they moved to Florida and we did not see them for a long time. After 5 years and 2 days, Frank and I divorced and I got a job at a law firm Nogi, O’Malley & Harris downtown. I also worked as a car hop in a highway restaurant to make ends meet at night. The girls went to nursery school in the day and I had a sitter at night. I never asked my parents for help. Oh yes, I borrowed $50 from my dad once and paid him back. One day at the lunch, I was ready to cross the street and was surprised to see Tom Noyes coming toward me. We were so happy to see each other. He was back from Florida and he and Shirley were divorced and so was I. I had no feelings for Tom except as a friend. He and a partner were going to run a home show in Scranton and he asked if I knew anyone who could be his secretary. I said, “How about me.” I was overworked at the law firm and only making $35 a week. So I went to work for Tom. I did all the secretarial work and sold space in the home show where business owners would display their wares. His partner Jack and Tom and I were the 3 musketeers. We did everything together. I lived in a 3 story walk up with my girls and we would pool our money and would cook for them and they would sit in the living room and watch TV and play with the girls.. One night we all went to a movie, a tear jerker, and I looked over at Tom and he had tears. This is the first time I looked at Tom differently. I new he had a heart. But we were strictly friends. He used to tell me who to date when I was asked and who not to. One day I had an appt in Pittston with a drapery company regarding space in the home show. The manager was a gentleman with
a nickname Swimmy. He was Italian, suave, and handsome. After my presentation he invited me to lunch. At lunch he invited me to dinner. I told him, that I had 2 girls who have to eat also. He told me to bring them. We all had dinner at Parino’s restaurant in Scranton, I was so fond of my two beauties in their frilly dresses and curled hair. He was quite smitten with all of us. The following week, I introduced Tom to Swimmy at the Europa Lounge to discuss his company purchasing space in our home show. Tom mentioned to him that he had
tickets to theWorld Series (Tom was an avid fan) and was going to NYC in 2 weeks. Swimmy told Tom to call a certain number in NYC and they would comp him a hotel room. Swimmy called me and asked
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